News & Stories
Geneva. Digital technologies and in particular, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing, and Blockchain, already affect trade costs, the nature of what is traded and the composition of trade. A new report from the World Trade Organization focuses on the ongoing change in a 25-trillion-dollar market.
Rockville. Choice Hotels International is making booking a hotel room directly easier – by enabling Book on Google. This is a new direct booking option that allows Choice Hotels' guests to seamlessly search, select, and reserve hotel rooms at its branded properties in the United States.
Milan. The increasing dynamism from the hospitality segment contributes to the rise of the Italian digital travel market, although the majority of online direct sales is still transport services. Only a small percentage of online visitors concludes its transactions.
Shanghai. Ctrip's ambition to become a global player in the tourism industry and a one-stop shop travel platform for its Chinese and international users could soon become a reality. Now the OTA is moving into hotel operations, launching its own hotel group.
Palma de Mallorca. Google Hotel Ads already represents 65% of the hotel reservations that metasearch engines take. Generally, 12% of hotel reservations are made through metasearch engines and they assist 25% to other channels.
Amsterdam. Booking.com will be the accommodation booking engine on the Air France app and website. Both companies have recently come to an agreement, leaving AccorHotels in the starting blocks. The hotel company was considering buying stakes in Air France recently to enhance synergies but finally dropped the idea. Is it time for regrets?
Needham, Va.. Is TripAdvisor becoming a form of Facebook for travel? The review platform is now placing the community at the center of its new product. It will offer a personalized travel feed to its members and more. The platform already influences 10.3% of travel global expenditure according to Oxford Economics.
Rockville. Choice Hotels is launching a new virtual payment solution to ease corporate travelers' experiences when checking in and out of their hotels. For Choice franchisees, it means faster payment processes and higher cash flow. Rolled out in the US, the solution is not yet available in Europe.
Amsterdam. OTAs as well as Airbnb have invested serious money into tours and activities over the past years. The latest move comes from Booking.com whose "Experiences" are now available in the US where the firm has secured a partnership with super star DJ Khaled to promote the service. Tripadvisor, Expedia, Airbnb, Get Your Guide and even Asian new comer Klook, are neck on neck on that, as they all want a piece of this 183-billion-dollar market.
Paris. Louvre Hotels Group and Lucien Barrière Group signed a distribution agreement that will help both parties to showcase each other's luxury units online. The French family-owned chain aspires to welcome more Chinese customers and relies on Louvre's expertise to do so. For Louvre, it opens another door to the luxury segment and fits in with Pierre-Frédéric Roulot's strategy.